Moonshine tastings and tour bus sleepovers: the best new Dolly Parton experiences
The country icon’s Tennessee home has welcomed a wave of fan experiences, with everything from moonshine tastings to tour bus sleepovers.
The Queen of Country is a titan of the American music scene — Dolly Parton's theme park alone attracts more than three million travellers each year. And now, the Dollyverse is expanding with the opening of a new star-spangled resort in the majestic Great Smoky Mountains, alongside a string of other developments. From updates on her long-awaited HeartSong Lodge & Resort to the new star roller coaster, here are her latest hits.
1. Dollywood adds new attractions
Dolly’s theme park, 15 miles from her eastern Tennessee birthplace, recently received a revamp. The new star of the show is Big Bear Mountain, the longest roller-coaster at Dollywood, which takes two two minutes to whizz around nearly 4,000ft of track. If looping-the-loop isn’t your vibe, head to the freshly unveiled Dolly Parton Experience, an interactive exhibition charting Dolly’s rags-to-rhinestones story.
2. Her tour bus offers a superstar sleepover
For almost 15 years, Dolly’s customised tour bus faithfully ferried the Queen of Country and her sky-high wig collection across the US. With the vehicle now in retirement at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, fans can peek inside the singer’s maximalist wardrobe before sleeping in her fuchsia velvet bed. The Suite 1986 Tour Bus Experience also offers a lavish meal with wine, as well as the option to book a cruise around the mountainous landscape in a custom hot-pink Jeep.
3. Moonshine gets hip
Moonshine, an eye-wateringly strong corn whisky, was once the tipple of choice for Prohibition-era bootleggers. Today, Dolly’s niece, Danielle Parton, is part of a growing movement to update the drink’s clandestine image with the opening of her Tennessee microdistillery, Shine Girl. Take a tour before pulling up a stool at the bar, where red-velvet-flavoured cocktails are occasionally shaken by Danielle herself.
4. Destination Dollywood opens a new resort
The long-awaited HeartSong Lodge & Resort opened its doors at the end of 2023. Riffing on Dolly’s love of the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the 302-room hotel spotlights the wonders of the surrounding wilderness. In the rustic lobby, guests gather around a crackling log fire, while images of the region’s black bears pepper the lodge’s suites and rooms.
5. The Queen of Country and King of Rock & Roll unite
A new nine-day tour from Newmarket Holidays brings together two titans of American music for an unforgettable road trip. Pit stops on the Ultimate Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton Experience include Elvis’s birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi, and Nashville’s RCA Studio B: the small but mighty hit factory where Dolly laid down her legendary track Coat of Many Colors.
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